Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-year-1-of-the-natural-sciences-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2016/paper-2/15/b/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 1 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2016 Paper 2 15 b Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-18
Subtracting the third row from the first gives , and the third row gives . The second row then reduces toFor , the unique solution isConsequently gives for every , whereas gives
When , the first and second left-hand sides coincide. If , they are the same plane, and the remaining independent plane cuts it in the lineIf , the two planes are distinct and parallel, so there is no solution. Geometrically, for the three planes intersect at a single point; at the coincident-plane case leaves an entire line, while the parallel-plane case has empty intersection.
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